Return to the Surface
by Dar Savarchyyl
Summary: The World has changed, Kingdoms rose, fell, and rose atop their ashes. Major corporations with ravenous machines, lucrative witch covens and circles of magi, and massive settlements of new people are at the forefront of what it means it exist in Minecraft. With such advancements, how do these ancient vestiges of the past cope with this new world?
1. Chapter 1

28/07/2017: Updated minor details

NOTE: This is the muse-child of the idea of coming back to Minecraft after a very long break, blown up to huge proportions in how different the world is. Loosely based on experiences myself and my best friend had long ago on a modded server. This story is also quite old, nearing about 2 years, and has just been sitting on my phone for all that time. I thought I might as well touch it up and post it somewhere, because I feel the quality of the writing is passable to me, and is lighthearted enough for me not to obsess too much over the details.

Without wasting anymore of your time, I leave you to the story.

The dark and congested mines into the depths were as expected: harsh and grimly; luckily, dwarves hold no qualms with these conditions - excelling in them no less. Even those who dwell on the surface for most of their life have the same stone blood, the same steel teeth, offering unbridled proficiency and passion for the underground.

The mines have been undergoing major expansions for the past three years. The demand for gold for a violent arena combat sport had increased ore exports exponentially in recent times. As a result, the dwarves have been mining deeper and farther into the earth, equal parts finding riches and horrors. For this reason, fearsome adventurers and mercenaries alike have been contracted by the mountainhome to better protect both the miners and the riches.

When Sikorias had finally hit rock bottom, cause of adventuring simply turning less profit each in this age, he journeyed to the dwarven halls in the north. It was astounding, the scale and craftdwarfship of the engravings on the granite walls, and the great statues of kings and gods lining all the corridors, they left him flabbergasted; as he had only heard tales about them. Luck was always on his side, for when he arrived, he effortlessly got hired on as a mercenary for a guarding position. Something he was confident he could do well, perhaps earn a more permanent position in the Steel Legions if he played his cards right.

The job proved easy enough, being stationed in the lower mine expansion, his job consisted of weeding out any pests in the tunnels and any newly opened caverns - he even took it upon himself to light the caverns up as he went about - and to prevent theft. Occasionally, a miner would get injured some way or another, usually a cause of spiders or skeletons; but most miners were adept enough to out maneuver zombies or deal with creepers. But for the most part, nothing seriously dangerous presented itself.

As the miners dug deeper and farther into the earth, they breached extensive cavern systems which were bare of any resources. The mining conglomerate came to the conclusion that particular system was picked clean during the Crafting Era. It wasn't unbelievable, but the area previously was too hazardous for primitives to properly live, due in part of aura flux. Regardless, spelunkers still traversed the caves and found absolutely nothing, not even undead were preset, and the caves went on forever it seemed, all bare.

"Day's over lads, weigh in!" The supervisor announced as he entered the main corridor from the lower mines. The miners all dropped their tools and started pushing their filled mine carts along the tracks. The supervisor turned to face Sikorias, who leaned against the rough hewn basalt wall near the tunnel to the lower mines, watching over the operations. "Kogan's nowhere to be seen, ye'll have to do the final sweep alone."

Sikorias pushed off the wall and dusted his weathered white tabard off and slid his axe out of its holster. "Aye," he acknowledged with a gravelly voice, adjusting his faithful iron greathelm. "That'll be the doldrums too?"

"Aye, some are convinced there is something in them caverns, I've tried to stop 'em but they worm their way back every time." He explained as he stroked his beard in an exasperated manner. "Anyways, just make sure no 'un's in the bare caves. And before ye go, be careful aye? I don't need to lose a good body " Sikorias nodded his understanding. "All's well and good then. I'm off to record today's gains." He concluded then went on his way to the upper mines.

When the supervisor left hearing range, Sikorias let out a rather unpleasant cough, powerful enough to shift his voice from a gruff miner, to something resembling a...surface dweller... "Damn mines wreaking hell on me..." He muttered, followed by another cough as he set out for the mineshafts.

The miners are to all be out of the mines at a certain time of day for at least 6 hours, due to surface monsters seeping back into the depths and larger ones waking to prey upon them. Monsters seem to become more active and aggressive without explanation during these times. The main tunnels appeared completely void of dwarven occupants, now all that was left to check was the barren caverns, or the doldrums as some have come to call them.

Sikorias waded his way through the breach in the dark stone wall, taking care to not damage the sun insignia on his tabard. The cavern was barren as always, but a pile of freshly quarried stone lie visible from around a corner. He moved to inspect the oddity, to find a freshly cut staircase leading downwards into darkness.

"Miners...?" He thought, gazing headlong into the darkened tunnel, then slid his way down the rough stairs.

The torches on the walls were still smouldering, as if just extinguished; dim embers made it apparent. Sikorias silently kicked himself for not brining along a lantern or lighter, but it wasn't hopeless, as a dim light was shining from around a corner further down. He proceeded downwards to find a T-intersection of sorts, one way leading into the light, and the other completely dark.

"Psst!" beckoned a sound from the dark.

Sikorias gripped his axe firmly and turned to the sound. "Who's there?" He asked quietly, yet forcefully.

"We're just miners!" An older sounding dwarven man whispered and stepped out from the dark, his black beard still blending in, much in contrast to Sikorias' orange one. "There be sometin' in that cave there! Tall and made of flesh and metal, cuts through stone like a hot knife through horse cheese! Digging out every single ore in sight!"

"Go back the way you came, I got this." Sikorias proudly boasted to the distressed miner, and bounded down the hall towards the light.

He burst through the narrow corridor and into a brightly lit cavern saturated with torches, temporarily being blinded by the light. When his vision cleared, he could see darkness in a distant section of the cave being slowly whittled away. Sikorias slowly made his way over to a ledge bordering the utterly massive cave, and, sure enough, something was actively mining in an ancient manner, a familiar one at that.

"No way..." He said aloud to nobody in particular. "Tall, flesh, metal, mining like no other... Aw hell."

Sikorias leaped off the respectable ledge, landing with a roll and ran towards the figure in the distance, not having to worry about hostiles due to the incredible lighting technique employed there. The figure could be seen ducked into a small hole not too far away, Sikorias closed the distance handily and stood at the edge of the pit, looking down at what he could barely believe.

The metallic creature turned his head upwards to face the dwarf, his multiple cyan eyes twinkling slightly. His robotic features showed little emotion, and his head sported three long hornlike metal fringes extending from his head, and his limbs had tubes attached to what little flesh was visible.

"Hey."

Sikorias was stunned. Years and years had passed since they last saw each other, he was sure that he had died somewhere along the lines. And what better words to greet his long lost friend?

"Hey?!" He yelled hotly and delivered a swift kick to Shields' head, knocking him back slightly. "Shields! You arse!" Sikorias fumed.

Shields shook his head slightly and rubbed his forehead after the blow. "The hell? What's your deal?"

"My deal? You've been gone for years! Years!"

"I said I was going mining. The caves just didn't stop, had to make lots and lots of hidey holes to stash it all. Got them recorded too."Shields casually explained and lightly tapped his head.

Sikorias gripped the eye slit of his helmet a moment, then removed the casque and starred at him with a serious look. "Things have changed, Shields. Many, many things," he cradled his helmet between his arm and side and sheathed his axe once again.

"Corporations, kingdoms, machines, witch covens, all these things we once scoffed at as we dug through the dirt for our diamonds have become the big players. The mansion grounds were claimed by a king after you left, and the world slowly became more developed and civilized, leaving little for adventurers like me. More races of people suddenly became more common; dwarves suddenly sprouted forth from the mountains and began digging." He paused, and Shields clambered his way out of the hole and stood at his full height, roughly twice that of Sikorias. "These new people are weaker than you and me, basically everyone still alive from the 'crafting era' is considered taboo; some like the attention, but I feel it brings your death faster. And strange creatures like yourself have been becoming rarer. Remember when walking around a town you could see anything ranging from a dirt man to a space marine? Not anymore." He finished off with a melancholic sigh, and looking up to meet Shields' gaze. "It's like those odd cities where the people live quietly and forcefully limit themselves, falling into roles. But now everyone is like that."

"So... I've been gone awhile? How long exactly?" Shields asked, confused, and gazing around aimlessly.

"Hmm... Three since the dwarves... Seven since that castle was built... Ahm... Sixteen years."

"Well then, I guess I should see the surface again." He stated and set off back to the lit tunnel where they came from.

"Hey, hold on!" Sikorias hastily threw himself in front of Shields. "I don't know how people would react to you. Like I said, guys like us aren't commonplace anymore, especially cyborg aliens." Sikorias remarked, shooting a glare towards Shields, who met it only with benign neglect.

"I could just bribe them with one of my stashes. Dwarves love stashes." Shields aloofly shrugged.

Sikorias stood silently as he walked by, he looked down to gaze upon his faithful greathelm and muttered, "Well, you're not wrong..." He shook his head dismissively and donned his helm, then raced to catch up with Marauder Shields.

"Hopefully you don't dig straight into a trio of dungeons..." Sikorias warily jested as Shields continued to dig a stairway upwards. "...again."

Shields paused his labouring a moment, "Hey now, that was funny." He stated and continued digging. Only seasoned stone-kin and masterful miners could tell such things, but a sudden change of the consistency in the stone indicated to Shields a non-mountainous area inbound.

The booming jumbotron in the bustling town square played the beginnings of the most popular form of entertainment in the land. At least two thirds of all the people preset where there to watch the debut of the newest Ultra Hardcore, featuring King Dinnerbone, special environmental hazards, and ten man teams. Easily a thousand people were crammed into the square, discussing and eagerly waiting for the match to start.

"ARK better not win this again,"

"Cleo deserved last season, I have a good feeling for this one!"

"Z and V will lure everyone into a death citadel again, calling it."

"I can still taste the salt from BTC's thirteen win streak,"

"I want Glydia!"

The mindless banter of the crowd continued as the preliminary introductions and biographies of the players rolled in the background; three teams of ten, 7 of which are Old Mindcrackers, Guude, Nebris, Blame, Pakkratt, Zisteau, and Vechs, brought out of their alleged retirement for the forty-eighth time.

"Hrmm? What's that?" An observer felt a slight rumbling at his feet, noticing the paved road beneath him cracking and straining at an alarming rate.

The crowd gasped and a wide clearing made way for what they thought was a sinkhole in the making, but were greatly surprised when a gleaming jewelled pickaxe carved an orderly section away instead. The crowd betrayed even more gasps and stood in shock when a tall, metallic creature emerged from the hole, standing at least a head higher than everyone else present. The strange creature observed his surroundings, skimming over the abundance of teenage boys and girls with hoods and headphones rampant. Many of them even wore creeper or enderman motifs, and none looked at all distinguishable from one another.

"I see that hasn't changed..." Shields muttered under his breath and set eyes upon the dominating screen, which now read in bold, fiery lettering: UCH 123!

"OHHHH! Ohh oohhh! I remember this!" He piped up upon recognizing the event. "Man, UHC 13 was the bomb; battle of twin peaks anyone?" His reminiscing fell on star struck ears, and whispers regarding him soon began circulating.

"He's just like them..."

"Did you see how he dug the stone away?"

"13? I can't stand the low quality of the recordings of anything before 60..."

"Why are we whispering?"

"Shhh! Shhh! Shut up!"

"No but seriously, he can probably hear us..."

With shields occupied by the casters dawdling on about various aspects of the game, and the crowd cautiously eyeing him, Sikorias sallied out of the freshly dug pit, going by mostly unnoticed by the crowd. Taking in the surroundings, he deducted they surfaced in the nearby town at the base of the mountain.

"Oh! How about the time Vechs got trapped in the nether for half the season? That was pretty good wasn't it?" Shields piped up once again, earning a few nervous chuckles from the crowd. Sikorias inched way closer to the cybernetic fiend.

"Shields," he prodded, learning in closer each moment.

"But who could forget about the time Bdubs wore GennyB'd head and got sliced by Zisteau?"

"Shields," Sikorias persisted, nudging him on his hip gyro.

"Ahh, UCH 9, a classic in its own right..." Shields let out with a wistful sigh, reminiscing further down memory lane.

"Taurus demons..." Sikorias began muttering the mantra of an ancient feud between them, instantly snapping Shields out of his nostalgia with a fierce red light emitting from his eyes.

"Don't. You. Dare. Say. It." Shields spat viciously, causing the crowd to back away. Sikorias however, sported a satisfied look.

"Good, now come here." He said and grabbed Shields' arm, leading him through the congregation and into a shrouded alley, sheltered from most prying eyes.

"See? That's what I'm afraid of. You stand out too much, and people who stand out too much have a way of suddenly disappearing." Sikorias lectured the pouting cyborg, but noted a strange effect. As if someone else was saying the exact words at the exact same time as him.

He looked to his right, deeper into the alleyway to see another two individuals in the exact position. A young man wearing a white tabard with a dull sun motif, and a green mantle resting on the shoulders. His limbs covered in a coat of light chain with iron bracers and boots. The exact attire Sikorias sported, only the occupant of the suit was a white skinned human with a head of blond hair and deep blue eyes.

Clutched in his hand was an overly long cerulean sleeve belonging to a very tall, voluptuous woman clothed in a long-cut hoodie lowering to her upper thighs. Two different belts with gold buckles crossed over her waist and and upper chest, garter belts connected the long white stockings to her alleged underwear from a pair of striking red higher-heeled boots. Most noteworthy of all was the gleaming porcelain mask covering her face, with only two eye holes and a slightly smaller off centre mouth opening etched into it, giving the slightly unnerving vibe of uncertainty. The mask's brown strap wound around the outside of the hood, strangling the puffy headpiece with a slight concave curvature. Finally, striking pink hair flowed out of every available opening, with locks resting on her upper bosom.

Each pair stared blankly at the mimics, a shorter person clutching the arm of a taller one, scolding them on their noticeability - although maybe for different reasons. The two warriors of the sun held an uncanny likeness, ranging from their posture to their speech mannerisms. Minor differences include their height, weapons sheathed it their side, and choice of company.

"Huh," Sikorias hummed and took a few steps forward. "I haven't seen another Warrior of the Sun for a very long time." He said, only now noticing the different sun insignia on the other. The usual snarky looking face was absent, the sun rays were a duller shade of gold and where flamberged outward instead of red and snaking.

The young man cocked an eyebrow, noting the difference between the logos. "Warriors of the Sun? I've never heard of that order."

"Solaire, Gwyn, Lloyd?" Sikorias rattled off names relating to his order, but the other man held a clueless visage. "C'mon, I know I wasn't gone for sixteen years. Did I miss something?"

"I'm a member of the Heirs of the Sun, Sounds like they're related. But as I said: I've never heard of them before." He shrugged, releasing his grip on his accomplice. "Hey, your buddy ran off there." He said and pointed after Shields' escape route.

Sikorias' eyes widened in surprise, turning to find Shields having effectively slipped away, but then his features became begrudging and sighed. "Goddamnit..." Sikorias was distracted to the point where he didn't even notice Shields slip away from his grasp, his arm was even held aloft in the same position as it was when he held him. Sikorias turned heel after hanging his head, setting route for the crowd of people again.

Emerging from the shaded alley, Sikorias was both surprised that the previous duo had followed suit, and surprised that Shields was actually on the surface - above it no less. He had perched himself on a fine pillar of cobblestone, rising high above the crowd and giving him an ample view of the massive jumbotron across the way. As if he were Moses, the crowd around the pillar had parted to stay clear of the structurally questionable object.

"Why...why is he up there?" asked the other sun warrior.

"He really enjoys that sport, eh, ultra hardcore was it? I haven't kept up since season three or so." Sikorias casually explained, stunning the young man.

"Season three? That was like...wha-"

"Long time ago, I know." He coolly dismissed the surprised man, sighing in exasperation. "I have to get him down from there; he's attracting too much attention." He muttered and unslung his trusty rucksack, rifling through its various contents. "Damn, didn't even bring a pickaxe."

"Could you just ask him to come down?" He casually suggested.

"You...are pretty smart." Sikorias looked up from his pack, standing and setting eyes on Shields' roost again. Only, his reassured expression was replaced by terror when he saw to blue clad woman strutting towards it, armed with a large pink hammer encrusted with emerald, produced seemingly from nowhere. The human realized from the look on the dwarf's face the situation, and took on an equally terrified expression. The girl reached the base of the tower faster than they could react, and wound up her hammer for a ferocious swing.

"SHIT!" They both shouted in unison while mid-stride of their attempts to stop her.

CRASH! The entirety of the pillar was reduced to rubble with a single blow, shattering the loosely fitted stones and sending them flying in a broad spray outward, mostly pelting the buildings. Thankfully, relatively speaking, she aimed the swing away from the crowd, only breaking windows and damaging building siding with the debris. Suffice it to say, Shields came tumbling down immediately, landing flat on his back in a small pile of pebbles. The crowd, previously reeling from the ferocity of the blow, suddenly erupted in a show of cheers and applause, finding such feats of strength to be an amazing achievement. She paid them no mind however, wheeling around and slinging her hammer over her shoulder, she casually sauntered her way back to the entrance of the alley, passing by the two stunned sun warriors.

"I..." Shields began, slowly adjusting and exercising his gyros and bearings. "I just wanna watch UHC, ya' hear?" He muttered and carefully rose to his feet, slowly shambling towards to two.

"Shields! How, I mean, what was I just telling you?" Sikorias stuttered and frantically scolded.

"Hey mang, I wasn't the one who caught the attention of the crowd," Shields indicated with a jab of his head towards the girl, who only stood by a wall with both hands held behind her back and looking sheepishly at the ground. "I just wanted to watch some casuals get beat into the ground."

Sikorias stood still with a single eye twitching sporadically before the blond man laughed and stepped in.

"You wanna watch UHC? I know just the place that'd make both of you happy." He smiled and extended a hand towards Shields, who reciprocated in earnest. "Name's Manstorm by the way, Rued Manstorm."

"Marauder Shields, I like to mine." Shields replied with his own introduction, giving a slightly overbearing handshake to accompany it, but Rued selling none.

Following the break, Rued extended a hand toward Sikorias, who snapped out of his stupefied torpor when presented with the gesture. "Oh, Sikorias Lorgana, previously of Xah Acath."

"Pleasure to meet you two," Rued ended the handshake and jutted a thumb over his shoulder, indicating towards the shy girl. "That one over ther-"

BROOOOMM! The sound of the jumbotron boomed outwards, drowning out all other noises followed by the roar of the crowd. Someone just got eliminated.

"-but all in all, she's just a Shygirl." Rued had continued his speech despite the major interruption as if nothing had happened, leaving Sikorias and Shields slightly confused.

"Oh come on! If I was up there right now I'd know who just died! Let's go to this place now, and quickly!" Desire over mild curiosity, Shields wanted to keep up with the game more than know about the pronounced woman.

"Alright alright! Just this way." Manstorm turned back towards the alley and beckoned, indicating the duo to follow him, with Shields doing so most eagerly.


	2. Chapter 2

Return to the Surface: Chapter 2

* * *

Manstorm led the duo back through the winding alleyways, the sound of the eager crowd fading off justly as they delved deeper. The way in which he skillfully bobbed and weaved through the cluttered gutters suggested a great deal of experience with traversing the area. Shields on the other hand: looked genuinely worried at the lack of lighting within the alley, and struggled greatly in not placing torches in his stead.

"It's too dark, where are the mobs?" Shields nervously asked while holding an unlit torch and hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Relax man, the monsters were driven out long ago. Ever heard of Magnum Torches? Yeah, they're as cool as they sound." Manstorm Jovially said.

"Sounds just like my suppression field..." Shields muttered below his breath.

"Ah, right here." Manstorm halted their advance, coming to rest before a rundown iron door set nearly flush within the wall. He rustled through a tight fitting satchel at his side and produced a gleaming key which fit seamlessly into the lock, allowing it to open with a groan of protest.

"Be my guest," he held the door for the two, extending an arm to welcome them in. Shields entered first, followed by the stout Sikorias.

They entered a somewhat rustic bar with slightly rundown seating and flooring. The ambient lighting was a soft and warm orange, giving it an almost Wild West vibe. Curiously enough, behind the bar itself was an enderman in a small red bow tie, with sharp green eyes and black smoke emanating off his form, as opposed to purple, tending to glasses and cleaning the establishment. Only two other patrons were present, an odd character dressed in a black and blue nano-suit with yellow eyes in the helmet and green lights on the joints. The second, if you would call her that was the Shygirl who was with Rued earlier, but evidently arrived before them. She gave them a small wave from her barstool, with the excess length of her sleeve flailing lightly in the air.

"What you guys think? Bar by day, club by night." Manstorm proudly said and lightly tapped a wall, revealing it to be a panel that can easily slide out of place.

"Bar by day? How many people here drink during the day?" Sikorias inquired with a slight smirk.

"Eh, I just say that for the flair; whenever the situation calls for it depends on the mode." Rued shrugged.

"I want my UHC..." Shields whimpered as he looked around the place for some sort of window, in the hopes of seeing the jumbotron again.

"Ah, right!" Manstorm perked up and vaulted over the bar, disturbing the enderman bartender as he rustled through the place in search of an object of interest. The enderman, perturbed, slightly narrowed his eyes before turning away. "There we are," he mumbled once he found a small black device with coloured buttons on it and immediately aimed it towards a black rectangular window mounted above the bar. It flicked on with a flash of light, and before shields knew it, he was suddenly seeing the live broadcast.

BROOOOOUM! The casting program immediately boomed, signalling another contestant having been eliminated.

"Aw hell!" Shields exclaimed wildly, flailing his limbs in startle, but quickly dismissed the fear and ran for the nearest barstool to perch himself on, eagerly watching the instant replay of the unknown player dying to an inconveniently placed cliff of over a hundred metres. The seat he happened to take was right beside where the Shygirl sat. She immediately shied away and a pink flush almost seemed to creep its way onto her mask.

"I don't even know who that guy was and I feel sorry for him." Shields began aimlessly rambling and commentating on the program.

Similarly, Sikorias found his place on a barstool two spaces over from where Shields rambled on about the game. Manstorm slid along the bar to the dwarf's location, leaning casually on his elbow.

"So, are you from the Fort up the hill?" Manstorm asked, eying up the dwarf.

"Currently. I used to live off the land and explore the uncharted areas of maps. But as you may know, more civilization means less untouched land, and I stopped being able to live comfortably off treasures and such." Sikorias woefully explained, leaving him idle with a wistful gleam on the eyes.

"Yeah, I've heard lots ended up doing the same," Manstorm began and rustled through a collections of mugs from under the counter, "I think they called that the Survival Era, or Crafting Era, where you had to make your own home out of dirt 'n shit." Rued emerged from the depths with a classic dwarven ale mug in hand, complete with miniature barrel bindings and the faint stench of alcohol. "Here, this one's on the house." Manstorm turned heel for a spigot bearing barrel of ale, pouring an ample amount into the tankard, and then sliding it toward Sikorias.

"Thanks." Sikorias nodded in appreciation and took a hearty swig. "Ahh, that's the stuff. But yeah, we used to crawl through the dirt and stone to find our diamonds, make our own homes, and defend them with our lives. Shields and I go way back." He tilted his head and pointed to the cyborg, who was busy making a complex series of hand gestures to explain a game tactic to the Shygirl, who appeared to be noticeably more comfortable around him, steadily nodding her head in agreement to many things he said; which went largely unnoticed by Shields with his signature benign neglect.

"I see I see; if you're both that old you've probably seen and done some crazy shit." Manstorm leaned in on crossed arms, eager to hear about the ambiguous duo.

"You'd be right. I remember when the entire world was an endless meadow of green grasses and trees, crazy mountains, and insane cave systems. We both stood by as the world evolved, new creatures, technologies, and crazed gods popped up all the time. There was one in particular that created these super hostile pocket dimensions that abducted me and Shields multiple times, put us through insane challenges."

"I remember hearing stories of stuff like that, dimensions that stretch the limits of the universe." Rued idly recalled.

"I can't remember much from those places, but I can confirm they were insane; had to risk our lives at every turn just to collect some stupid relics for a monument in order to leave." Sikorias wracked his brain recalling the detail, eventually shrugging and taking another sip of his ale.

"Really? So you mean you're actually the real deal then, like the contestants on the UHC's?" Manstorm became increasingly interested in the pair, gazing more intently at the artifacts.

"Oh yeah, as I said before, me and Shields have been around long enough to watch the first seasons. I didn't follow it for that long, but Shields kept up with it until he disappeared. I suppose he's a little behind now." Sikorias accentuated the regale with a large gulp of ale.

"He disappeared?" Manstorm asked with a raised brow.

"Sure did. One day he told me he was going mining, next thing I know it's been years and I never saw him again. I moved on, left behind what we built and started a new life. Then he just appears randomly yesterday and goes on like nothing happened. It's hard for me to understand how he can just mine for such long times."

"I guess those two have a lot in common then," Manstorm remarked.

"How so?" Asked Sikorias.

Manstorm laughed and pushed off the bar, jutting one thumb over towards the Shygirl. "Yeah, little miss-"

"OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!" Shields tumultuously let out in response to a blatant mistake of a player, briefly drowning out Manstorm, who, strangely enough, continued speaking as if nothing happened.

"- UCH and usually ends up exploring and mining for long periods of time. You've seen that hammer of hers, yes?" Manstorm asked Sikorias, slightly confused at her supposed abilities. He simply nodded and sipped his drink. "It's some odd alloy of aluminum, iron, and obsidian. Something-umite, tougher than diamond."

"Really? She just so happens to have something like that?" Sikorias perked a brow.

"Haha, why, she made it herself of course! Metallurgy from a long lost race."

Sikorias' features scrunched at the thought. The mighty dwarves being beaten to a metal stronger than diamond, absurd! However, he found some assurance in that she wasn't the founder of the principle.

"That's crazy talk, dwarves are supposed to be the masters of metal. Metal bones, stone skin, gemmed teeth! Teeth!" Sikorias blabbered and downed the rest if his drink, slamming the mug onto the counter loud enough to garner a brief glance from the Shygirl.

"People from the Crafting Era have always been better at everything, remember? Although we're sorta late additions, well, kinda mixed, but we're still more capable than the norm!" Rued emphasized by faux flexing his right bicep.

"Mixed? So your line managed to stay more pure than the rest I see."

"I suppose so, however we never had a chance to ask, never knew our parents." Manstorm paused a moment, in thought perhaps, then shrugged it off casually.

"Hmm, come to think of it, you n' me share a lot of similarities as well, just from what I've noticed so far." Sikorias observed, taking another drink of his ale.

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Manstorm asked curiously.

"Well, we're both members of an order related to the sun, alcohol is a common interest. Actually, Shields and I, along with some other old friends, also owned a bar of sorts, well, more of a gentlemen's club way back in the day, felt a lot like this one here. Classy, but also capable of being rowdy if need be. And we also had an enderman barkeep."

"Really? What ended up happening to it?" Rued pursed his lips in surprise.

"We had a... falling out with one of the friends, and we sorta went our separate ways after that. He went berserk and nearly destroyed it all, our mansion grounds, ship yard, fortress... and when myself and Shields dealt with that, he up and left, never heard from him since. Same with the others shortly after, although for different reasons. It was just me and Shields for a while, then as you know one day he said he was going mining, leaving me there alone. Then a rising kingdom rolled over the land and annexed our property, and I was powerless to stop them. That kingdom has since fallen, but I haven't been back there since." Sikorias mournfully regaled, going for another sip, but realizing all too late the cup had run dry.

Manstorm went to refill his tankard, reaching for the mug. However, the bar suddenly and violently shook, clanking glasses and bottles together wildly. Shields had leapt atop the bar, with a cube of smoothed stone in his hand.

"OKAY. I can see that cobble stone from a mile away! You'd think after a hundred seasons they'd know to use SMOOTH STONE to hide themselves!" Shields proclaimed to the world.

"Hey hey hey don't scuff the varnish-" Manstorm tried to warn but was cut off yet again.

"It's so easy! Smelt it, then do THIS!" Shields proudly shouted, and with lightening speed, encased himself in a cocoon of smoothed stone atop the bar. Muffled words could be heard within, but ultimately unintelligible.

Sikorias sprung from his stool, rushing over to the encasement, inwardly wishing he'd brought a pickaxe. "Ah shit man, I'm sorry about this..." He sheepishly apologized as he examined the object.

"It's okay... I had to get this place refurbished anyway..." Manstorm worriedly assured, hoping that the bar wasn't damaged.

While the two warriors of the sun lamented over the cocoon, the Shygirl, on the other side of the structure, produced a gleaming orange pickaxe covered with moss, and tipped with a gentle, silky substance, not dissimilar to the hammer she used earlier, and strode over to it.

She raised the tool aloft, setting sight on a portion of stone opposite her, the excess length of her hoodie flopping slightly with her movement. The tool struck the stone, instantly dissolving a cubic metre into a small storm of pebbles that immediately condensed into a compact cube.

The moment the stone whittled away, the Shygirl's instincts screamed aloud, causing her to bob out of the path of a bejewelled diamond blade thrusting out of the opening. Given the length of her hair, it was delayed in her retreat, subjecting a few unfortunate pink locks to the ravenous blade. The world stood painfully still, Rued and Sikorias standing slack jawed over what just happened, and the Shygirl starring idly at the fluttering strands of hair falling to the ground.

"And see, THAT is what I would do if I were a contestant in an Ultra Hardcore." Shields proudly said, oblivious to the growing tensions, sheathing his sword.

Shields' head movement was halted by a whirring orange blade poised directly at his throat, which seemingly licked at his flesh with stands of inscrutable energy. The Shygirl stood before him menacingly, adopting an aura of ferocity and ire. Shields' demeanour shifted from the casual benignity he usually held to an expression that could be surmised as 'I messed up'. The Shygirl held the cleaver there a moment, although functionally impossible to tell, it was obvious she was in deep consideration of his punishment. Rued dared not intervene, knowing the extent of her abilities.

Sikorias however, knew not what she is capable of. He dashed around the corner of the encasement, rushing at the Shygirl in an attempt to tackle her to the ground, or at the very least, remove the blade from his best friend's throat.

"Sikorias, wait!" Rued attempted to warn, only for it to fall on reason deaf ears.

The Shygirl paid the charging dwarf no mind, simply remaining affixed on Shields. Sikorias collided with her head on, and instead of meeting soft, slender fabric, the portion of her legs he hit morphed into a section of craggy green armour from thin air, producing a powerful retaliatory kick which sent Sikorias flying backward and slamming into the side of a booth, stirring the attention of the nano-suited patron, who didn't bother to budge.

"Agh, the hell...?" Sikorias mumbled as he held his head.

The Shygirl briefly glanced at him, then to Rued around the cocoon, then lowered the cleaver. She performed a slight of hand maneuver, making the cleaver disappear and subsequently replacing it with a small green book. She stared intently at Shields once more, giving a shake of her head, then opened the book and touched a page within. The entirety of her body was pulled into the pages, leaving the book floating in midair until she had completely been pulled in. The book fell to the floor, and she was gone.

The trio stood in silence for many moments, with only the sound of the broadcast echoing through the spacious bar. Rued walked towards the book, knelt down, picked it up, taking special care to not touch the pages, and closed the tome with a thud. He tucked it securely under his arm and let out a sigh of relief.

"That could have been really bad..." He warily said and ambled over to Sikorias, offering a hand of assistance.

"Yeah..." Sikorias agreed whist rising and rubbing the back of his head.

"You ok? That was a pretty hard kick it gave you."

"What the hell was that anyway? I didn't expect to get thrown on my arse." Sikorias groaned as he cracked his back.

"Retaliatory Kick, it's a recently discovered enchantment ward. She has it applied to her armour, along with everything thing else of hers."

"Goddamn...how was I so out of the loop? What kind of crazy gear do you have tucked under your sleeve?" Sikorias prodded jokingly.

Rued looked around sheepishly and shrugged lightly. "Admittedly... Not much, never had much need for such heavy equipment. Just give me what I need to survive and I'll do just fine, y'know?" Rued regaled with a knowing look towards Sikorias, who nodded in agreement.

Shields finally snapped back to reality after the ordeal, going to work removing the stone he'd placed on the bar. "Hey, sorry about that - I got a bit carried away..."

"Don't worry about me man, you just gotta apologize to her whenever she shows up again." Rued shot an assured smile towards Shields, to relieve his nerves, then let out a hearty laugh. "I guess I should've warned you about her temper!"

Despite the happenings, Shields couldn't help but smile in response.


End file.
